


I'll Be There For You

by Brioux



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Cryptid Dex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nursey is a really good boyfriend, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 22:23:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8507797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brioux/pseuds/Brioux
Summary: Nursey takes cryptid!Dex to Maine for a weekend.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dexthecryptid (Godtie)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Godtie/gifts).



> Happy birthday Ax!! I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> You can find the inspiration post here:  
> http://dexthecryptid.tumblr.com/post/151457298071/dex-the-cryptid
> 
> And you can find me on tumblr as derekpoindexter-williamnurse :)
> 
> The title is most definitely a Friends reference. I'm not sorry.

Dex isn’t one to complain. He doesn’t find the worth in it. If something can be fixed, he’d rather just fix it. And if something can’t be fixed, there’s no point in whining about something that isn’t going to change. It’s why he doesn’t tell anyone when he’s overwhelmed with school work, or when he’s feeling inhumanly exhausted, or when he really just needs a good meal that he can’t get from Bitty’s kitchen.

Dex shouldn’t be surprised that Nursey can tell when things aren’t right for him. They’ve made so much progress in their relationship, to the point where Nursey probably knows Dex better than Dex even knows himself. In response to knowing the truth about Beach Biters, the entire Poindexter family has made it their job to welcome Nursey into their world. Part of it is to make sure Nursey isn’t going to go running off to social media or something and sharing their secret with the world, but most of it is just because they want to get to know Dex’s new boyfriend.

Because of this new source of information, Nursey has made it his own personal mission to make sure Dex is taking care of himself. He texts Dex’s mom about once a week, worried about the way Dex’s skin is more pale than usual or how he’s starting to be able to see Dex’s ribs through his skin, he’s getting so skinny.

It isn’t until Nursey calls Dex’s mom worried about how his eyes aren’t really glowing that bright anymore, even after his pond swims, that she actually returns his concern and Nursey knows he has to do something. Fortunately, they have a long weekend with no games or practices coming up and Dex’s mom is more than willing to help Nursey plan out the perfect getaway.

Along with the whole family, she was definitely worried about Dex dating a human at first. Only a few members of the family have actually tried having a relationship with a human before and they haven’t always gone well. But this one seems to love her son unconditionally, despite his slightly bizarre antics, so he’s okay in her eyes.

It turns out, the Poindexter family has a cabin hidden away in rural Maine. It’s right on the beach for easy access to the water, and only a short two block walk away from the dock where the family has a few boats for traveling farther out into the ocean. Mostly they use it for big family gatherings, where the members of the family who have gone full cryptid can feel comfortable meeting with the members of the family who are assimilated into the human world. But it’s also used for when someone just needs a break from the stress of every day human life. It’s a three story house, falling apart at first glance but held together by centuries of renovations and maybe a little bit of cryptid magic. There’s only a small generator that powers the refrigerator, and there’s no heating or air conditioning. Beach Biters don’t get too cold or hot, so the family never felt it was necessary to put those amenities in.

Nursey doesn’t tell Dex where they’re going, just that they’re taking the weekend to get away from school and to pack a small bag with just the essentials. He packs both of their school work, though he’s going to avoid letting Dex do anything strenuous as much as possible, and gets them into the car early on Thursday afternoon.

Dex pesters him for a while, asking where they’re going and what they’re doing. But Nursey keeps his mouth shut, not wanting to spoil the surprise. Dex figures it out anyway, when they start to get close and Nursey stops to put the address into his GPS.

“We’re going to the cabin, aren’t we?” he asks, his voice quieter than Nursey has ever heard it before.

“Yeah,” Nursey admits.

Dex tries to hide his smile, but Nursey catches it anyway. That, combined with the blush taking over Dex’s skin, makes all of this work worth it already.

“Don’t bother with the GPS,” Dex says. “It will only get you to a certain point anyway.”

“Only real Poindexters know where it is?” Nursey teases.

Dex nods and Nursey pulls back onto the road.

“We should stop and get you food,” Dex says. “The last grocery store on the way is a few miles up.”

“Your mom had your brother stock the kitchen with some human food for me,” Nursey says. “He also checked on the boat, and she said we’re welcome to take it out whenever we want.”

Dex doesn’t say anything for a while, not until he has to direct Nursey to turn on to another road. Nursey thinks maybe Dex is overwhelmed with emotions and doesn’t know how to deal with them in this moment. So he chooses to thread their fingers together instead of pressing him to talk.

When they finally reach the cabin, Nursey turns off the car and gives Dex’s hand a squeeze.

“It’s okay that I did this, right?” he asks, a little hesitant for the answer. He doesn’t know what to do if the answer is no.

Dex lets out a huge sigh, and as he does a lot of tension leaves his shoulders.

“Yeah,” he says, letting himself smile—truly smile—for the first time in a long while. “Yeah, this is…more than okay.”

Nursey smiles in return, a small one more grateful than anything else.

“Come on, if we get all our stuff inside we can get you out in the water before the sun goes down.”

They get everything into the house and Nursey is pleased to find stuff to make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as Dex gets settled in. Soon enough, they’re making their way down to the beach, Nursey bundled up in what feels like a dozen layers and Dex in just a t-shirt and shorts.

“Here,” Dex says, putting his towel down next to a fire pit. “Let’s get this started up for you.”

There’s already what looks like the start of a fire built in the pit and as Dex gets it lit, he explains that it was put in about a hundred years ago for his great-great-grandmother, who was a human. She didn’t like staying in the house when it started to get cold while her entire family was out in the water, so her husband and his brothers built the pit to keep her warm. Nursey is grateful for it now, since the harsh winter weather seems to be taking no mercy on him.

Once the fire is roaring, Nursey brings Dex in for a long, slow kiss. He helps Dex strip down to his briefs and massages the tight muscles in his shoulders a little.

“Take your time, babe,” he says, giving him a little push towards the water.

The sun is going down, so Dex’s eyes are starting to glow just a little and his mouth spreads into a wide smile, showing off the extremely pointy teeth Nursey probably should be more afraid of. He stretches out his back and the wind whips up, blowing his hair all different directions.

“You’ll be okay here?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Nursey promises.

Dex gives him another quick peck, careful to cover his teeth with his lips, and heads off into the water. Nursey tries to keep an eye on him at first, monitoring when and where he comes up for air. But Dex’s movements are sporadic and hard to keep up with.

It’s okay, though. Nursey takes in the pink and orange hues in the sky that go along with the setting sun, breathes in and out in time with the crashing of the waves on the shoreline, and lets the heat of the fire warm his skin.

After a while he takes out his notebook to jot a few things down. He’s not sure if he could write any actual poetry right now, he doesn’t want to break this easy-going atmosphere that’s taken over. But he wants to at least get the general emotions and sensations he’s feeling into words so he can bring them back later.

Nursey gets so lost in the writing that he doesn’t hear the footsteps approaching. He jumps a little when someone sits down next to him, and almost drops his notebook into the fire. Fortunately, his company is quick to reach out and snatch it before it does.

“That would have been bad,” the obvious Beach Biter says with a wide smile, handing it over.

“Uh, yeah. thanks,” Nursey says.

“So you’re Billy’s boyfriend?” the guy asks.

Nursey takes a good look, noticing the red hair, freckles, and extremely familiar features. He has to be one of the members of the Poindexter family he hasn’t met yet, and Nursey is willing to bet he’s Dex’s brother.

“Derek Nurse,” he says, sticking out his hand.

Dex’s brother studies his outstretched hand, like he’s not sure what to do with it at first. But then he slides his hand into Nursey’s and gives a quick shake.

“Jeremy Poindexter,” he introduces himself. “My mom sent me just to check up on you guys. Make sure you got in okay.”

“We did, thanks,” Nursey says. “He’s in the water now.”

Jeremy glances out at the ocean and nods and, despite Nursey not being able to see Dex right now, he feels like Jeremy has no problem spotting his brother.

“Mom said he really needed this,” Jeremy says. “I’m glad he has someone like you to look out for him.”

“I love him,” Nursey says softly, a little embarrassed to be telling his boyfriend’s brother something so personal. “I—I think he’s it for me, you know? I would do anything for him.”

Jeremy just smiles in response, his eyes glowing brightly now that the sun is completely below the horizon.

It only takes about another half hour for Dex to pull himself out of the ocean, but he already looks so much healthier than he did just a few hours before. The fire is starting to die out, but Nursey can still get a good look at him. He’s cryptid-pale, rather than sickly-pale, he seems to have already gained a little bit of weight back already, and his eyes are glowing brighter than Nursey has seen since he returned from summer break. There’s almost no tension in his shoulders and he’s moving with such grace Nursey’s mouth goes dry.

Jeremy stands when he reaches them and Nursey gets a real look at just how tall he is. He’s at least a foot taller than Dex, who’s already one of the tallest guys Nursey knows. He pulls Dex in for a short hug and pats him on the back.

“I gotta go, but I just wanted to make sure you’re good,” he explains.

“Yeah,” Dex says with a little nod. “Nursey’s taking care of me.”

“I can tell,” Jeremy says with a smirk.

Nursey’s sure with their enhanced vision they can both seem him blush. It feels so formal, obviously getting his approval. But at this moment, almost nothing has ever felt better. Jeremy gives Dex another hug and then, to Nursey’s surprise, turns to give him one as well before quietly disappearing into the night.

“Good?” Nursey asks, handing Dex the towel.

“Great,” Dex answers, drying himself off quickly.

Dex leads them up to the house, where they cuddle up on the couch under a pile of blankets. They make out for a while, Nursey sucks an impressive hickey into Dex’s neck, and eventually they move to the bedroom where they fall asleep wrapped around each other.

The next two days they take the boat out a few miles off shore so Dex can dive deeper. He brings up a few large fish, eating them right there on the boat in front of Nursey. It should be disgusting or disturbing, but Nursey feels like maybe he’s gone a bit insane because it’s nothing but endearing to him. He thinks Dex is beautiful, shredding through scales and bones like they’re nothing.

He composes a few lines about the fine line between grotesque and gorgeous, but he’s a little nervous to write more. Just in case someone decides to snoop through his notebook. He doesn’t want anyone to discover Dex’s identity because of his own careless mistake.

They spend their evenings cuddled up together, exchanging languid kisses and holding each other as close as possible until they fall asleep. They don’t do anything more, mainly because this whole weekend is supposed to be about building Dex’s energy back up, but it’s satisfying just the same.

Jeremy comes by one more time, on Saturday night, and he and Dex go out for a late-night swim as Nursey works on some homework in the house. Dex comes back with red-rimmed eyes, but he’s got a smile on his face so Nursey isn’t too concerned.

It’s hard for them to pack up Sunday morning, but they know they have to get back to school. They’ve got classes and practices to worry about. Nursey encourages Dex to take another swim before they hit the road and then they’re in the car and on their way to Samwell.

Nursey can’t believe how much of a difference the weekend made. Dex looks even healthier than he did at the end of the summer, his skin is clear and strong, he’s got muscle on his bones again, and his eyes aren’t sunken into his skull anymore. He smells strongly like the ocean, but Nursey can’t even complain because he’s too distracted by the bright smile that won’t leave Dex’s face.

It’s no surprise their teammates notice the change right away, and Dex has to fight hard to keep his smile as human as possible. But once they’re up in the attic sorting their clothes, Dex pins Nursey to the door and kisses him breathless.

“Thanks,” he says, nuzzling his nose into Nursey’s neck. He sighs. “This weekend was perfect.”

“Any time,” Nursey promises.


End file.
